Over on XDA Developers, Bph&co has posted the above image, referencing work by a hardware hacker by the name of X-Shadow. The image is a reference point for where the test points are on the Lumia 800 mainboard, showing where to solder pins for the Advance Box turbo flasher. In essence, this gives full hardware control over the software on the device, which gives way for custom ROMs, SIM unlocking, etc.

What does this mean, exactly? For the end user, nothing. I don't mean to trash on X-Shadow's work, as this is certainly impressive. But what I do mean to point out is, this development doesn't really help the end user at all. If you're an enthusiast with the skill to disassemble, solder, and flash with these tools, then this is excellent news. But most people aren't, and who knows how many people are going to break something when they try this. Hint: soldering sucks.

So I post this with congratulations to X-Shadow for his hardware hack and research, and hope to hear more of what this method leads to. I also post this with the advice for the end user to disregard this, as it does not increase the chances of easy custom ROM flashing through software exploits.

Here's the source link from XDA. I couldn't find the source for the hacker, but if it turns up, I'll amend this post. Happy weekend.